This lecture explores the evolution of digital methods in heritage, including the digital heritage object (DHO), highlighting some of the fundamental issues this raises, including the unexpected transformation of DHOs from passive record to dynamic portal. The DHO, a transmediation of a physical site or heritage object into a digital form, has undergone a number of significant conceptual changes. Initially conceived of as a digital version of traditional analogue records, they may now assume a status distinct from, but parallel to, the physical original. In an echo of historic replicas, the DHO can become an artefact in its own right, while their production is arguably a significant chapter in the biography of the original. Recognising this can create new opportunities for engagement and empowerment through creative response, co-design and co-production as well as offering moments of intervention that can directly impact the forms of significance and authenticity associated with the site or object in question. I will explore these questions by drawing on recent case studies from heritage and art based research projects in the UK, Africa and the Pacific, including the One Ocean Hub project. Finally, I will explore how we can move beyond questions of production and dissemination recognising the unique attributes of the digital realm that allow us to again reconceive DHOs as portals into heterogeneous and diverse content, creating unforeseen linkages and break down traditional barriers between domains.